January 2, 2020 at 12:00 am
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Finding Motivation to Learn
January 2, 2020 at 1:58 pm
The reality is that IT workers are paid well above the average wage. The cost of an annual subscription to one of the MOOCs is not high when expressed in those terms.
I saw a recent tweet that said "Don't worry about job security, invest in career security". That certainly rings true. An organisation can decide that a line of business or business function is simply not one that aligns to their strategy. Thank you for your service and goodbye! Hard working colleagues who take pride in what they produce are let go simply because they are in those functions deemed non-stategic.
The truth may be unpalatable but in most cases we find time for the things we value or enjoy. I include myself in that as well. I think a good practice is to update, or at least read, your CV once a quarter.
Imagine you lose your job tomorrow. What would you like your next job to look like? Start acquiring the skills for your desired next job today!
January 2, 2020 at 4:26 pm
It true that many IT professionals are not motivated to learn. But it's also true that many IT organizations (particularly the larger ones) treat most of their staff like cogs in a machine. They are expected to reliably perform a set of tasks within a box, and when the occasional need for an outside the box task comes up, the organization will hire a contractor or a new staff member.
But then again, maybe some of us unintentionally box ourselves in with branding. For example, the self-stylized "Resident SQL Server Guru" may actually find that brand limiting if it causes him or her to be reluctant to change.
If you find yourself working for an organization that actually does encourage and reward learning and adoption of new technology, then appreciate what you have. I'm happy to say I've arrived, but after working for several other organizations of the past 20 years, and after listening to others relate their stories on this forum, I can say that ideal situation is the exception - not the norm.
"Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Instead, seek what they sought." - Matsuo Basho
January 2, 2020 at 4:54 pm
Imagine you lose your job tomorrow. What would you like your next job to look like? Start acquiring the skills for your desired next job today!
Great sentiment. I'm going to use that in something else.
I do think it's easy to get complacent, and certainly as Eric mentioned, most organizations don't really want people to be doing something different. Actually, I think most organizations want you to do your job, and most managers don't reward change and many even punish it. It can be hard to stay motivated to learn and grow when there isn't any incentive or opportunity at work.
Really I would say that I've rarely found it impossible to introduce change or new techniques, but I have found it difficult and time consuming. It's a regular task to try and convince others, staff and management, to try something new or improve the way we do things.
That being said, I've often been able to improve my job with creative uses of new skills. Certainly I can do this outside of work, and it provided a reason for me to blog things. Mostly, however, I continue to view the world as David noted. I might need a new job, or want a new job, and you want to have options. Therefore, I try to do better. That's part of learning to be a craftsman. Not an expert, but someone looking to improve.
January 2, 2020 at 6:47 pm
Excellent editorial and blog post. I'm one who loves to continually learn. I attend .NET user group meetings (although they may be stopping soon, unfortunately), SQL Saturdays (when I can), etc. I pay for my own Pluralsight subscription. I stick out in the crowd at work, because for the most part, with a few excellent exceptions, the majority of developers and DBAs at work are content just cruising through their work. There're reasons for that, which I won't go into now.
There's a correction I wanted to make known to Monica, but I couldn't find a way to add a comment to her blog post. So, Monica Rathbun, if you read these comments, you need to update one of the links. Almost a year ago Microsoft mothballed their Microsoft Virtual Academy. For US people use Microsoft Learn instead. Others, you'll have to Bing/Google/whatever-your-favorite-search-engine-is it instead.
Rod
January 3, 2020 at 1:22 am
Almost a year ago Microsoft mothballed their Microsoft Virtual Academy. .
Man, that was a bloody shame. They actually had some good stuff on there and I can't find hide nor hair of the videos anywhere. They had a particularly good series on XML and, just as I was digging into it, they cancelled the whole bloody site.
And, yes, I realize that change is inevitable but it seems like it almost always comes with some loss. I think the new Microsoft Learn site is much more difficult to find things and navigate and they've dropped a huge amount of content. Try doing a search for "XML" and be wicked pleased when they return "No results, clear your filters and search terms".
--Jeff Moden
Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.
January 8, 2020 at 12:53 pm
I wonder if companies are starting to think that we are all brains and that we should just google search our way out of problems. Hey, google knows everything (or sometimes contact support for it--one department support budget for one set of applications is six figures (talk about asking for $3,000 for class, but they'll spend six figures on support!)!. Anyhow, I have spent several days searching for some issues. Some answers and tutorials are just not specific enough. I've bought books (SSIS) only to find they weren't specific enough.
Continuing, I think some of IT has been commoditized. Instead of central IT, the departments have IT personnel in them. "Oh, it's easy anyone can do it." You get people who think they know, but then they really don't. Or, the central IT is too busy and won't be able to help us, so we'll just hire someone.
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